Meat plant to close with loss of 30 jobs

Thirty jobs are to go after a Northern Ireland meat packing plant today announced that it is to close its Belfast operation.

Dungannon Meats is to shut its Elmgrove Foods operation in the city following a loss of business with supermarket giant Sainsbury.

A statement by the company said further job losses elsewhere in the group have not been ruled out.

“Dungannon Meats supplies around 40% of Sainsbury's beef products and the supermarket's decision to move to a single supplier will impact on both our group operations and our suppliers throughout Northern Ireland and the UK,” the statement said.

"We are currently in talks with Sainsbury as to when our contract will end and it would be premature to anticipate the outcome of those discussions."

Founded in 1976, Dungannon Meats is a supplier of lamb and lamb products and employs 1,900 people in nine plants in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Britain.

The group's Northern Ireland operations have 900 direct employees and a further 125 contract operatives in Dungannon, Ballymena and Belfast.

(MB/GMCG)